Chapter 860 - 821: Akhal-Teke Horse
It was just when everyone was questioning Zhao Rong about buying lab rats and mini pigs,
Zhao Rong immediately took a step forward and pulled out a bottle of enlargement modifying liquid from his pocket,
then he said to the three beauties in front of him, the assistant, and Huo Qubing:
"Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Xuelian, Assistant, Huo Qubing, watch closely,
once I drop this enlargement modifying liquid onto these few little horses,
they will quickly transform into six Akhal-Teke horses..."
When Huo Qubing heard that such magical things existed in this world,
he couldn’t believe it and said:
"Brother Zhao Rong, are you joking?
I don’t believe that dripping this liquid onto these small animals will make them grow instantly..."
Upon hearing the renowned Huo Qubing call him brother,
Zhao Rong humbly replied:
"Huo Qubing, please don’t call me brother,
in front of you, I’m just a junior,
after all, you are a legendary hero and the young god of war..."
With those words, Zhao Rong dropped the enlargement modifying liquid onto the five very small ponies before him.
As soon as Zhao Rong applied the enlargement modifying liquid to these five little horses,
a magical scene unfolded.
The mini ponies, which were as small as lab rats, rapidly grew into a tall and mighty cohort of Akhal-Teke horses.
When Huo Qubing saw the sudden appearance of the six Akhal-Teke horses,
he was astonished and exclaimed:
"No doubt, these horses are Akhal-Teke horses...
Look, these Akhal-Teke horses have slender heads, long necks, thin skin and fine hair, graceful gaits, with great strength, speed, and stamina..."
When the three beauties and the assistant saw the six Akhal-Teke horses before their eyes,
they were amazed and exclaimed:
"Wow, I’ve only seen small Mongolian horses before,
but I’ve never seen such tall, sleek, and noble Akhal-Teke horses, they are simply incredible..."
Seeing the three beauties’ admiration for the Akhal-Teke horses,
Zhao Rong immediately replied with a smile:
"Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Yu Lan, if you like them, I can get more Akhal-Teke horses from Paradise Shopping Cart for you..."
Miss Lili curiously asked:
"Brother Zhao Rong, where on Earth do Akhal-Teke horses originate, and why are they named so..."
Zhao Rong explained to Miss Lili:
"Akhal-Teke horses" are originally named Akhal-Teke horses,
these horses originate from Turkmenistan, the Akhal Oasis between the Kopet Dag Mountains and the Karakum Desert,
they are one of the world’s oldest horse breeds, cultivated over three thousand years..."
Listening to Zhao Rong’s explanation, Miss Lili understood the origin and history of Akhal-Teke horses.
At this moment, Huo Qubing was the first to jump onto an Akhal-Teke horse,
he delightedly said:
"Zhao Rong, thank you so much for getting us each an Akhal-Teke horse,
with Akhal-Teke horses as our steeds we will definitely find the hiding place of the Xiongnu swiftly..."
As everyone saw Huo Qubing riding the Akhal-Teke horse without using the stirrups,
they were puzzled and said:
"Huo Qubing, since you’ve mounted the horse, why aren’t you using the stirrups?
Without them, you might fall off..."
Huo Qubing seemed never to have seen stirrups and said:
"Stirrups, what are those?
When we ride, we don’t use stirrups; we just squeeze the horse’s belly tightly with our legs..."
Zhao Rong explained to the three beauties:
"Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Xuelian, you may not know, stirrups were only invented in the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
Before that, everyone rode without stirrups and used their legs to grip the horse’s belly,
thus in Huo Qubing’s era, there were no stirrups..."
When the three beauties and the assistant heard that riding without stirrups could be exhausting, they said:
"Wow, if riding without stirrups is the norm, it would be exhausting..."
But, Huo Qubing was already very accustomed to it and said:
"During battles, we never use stirrups,
in fact, we can ride this way for up to a thousand kilometers..."
And with these words, Zhao Rong and his group of five were deeply impressed by Huo Qubing...
Thus, Zhao Rong’s group of six, riding Akhal-Teke horses, galloped across the steppe for nearly ten hours before spotting a troop of people in the distance.
As soon as Zhao Rong’s group of six discovered the troop of people in the distance,
they were immediately joyful and exclaimed:
"We’ve been on the move all day, and we’ve finally found the gathering spot of the Xiongnu..."
Miss Lili exuberantly said:
"Finding the Xiongnu is good,
now we can assist Huo Qubing in completing his task..."
Beautiful Yu Lan contentedly said:
"Once we eliminate the Xiongnu main forces,
Huo Qubing can return to Chang’an and be rewarded instead of facing execution..."
Beautiful Xuelian, who was very concerned about the rewriting of history, said:
"As long as Huo Qubing defeats the Xiongnu, captures Youxian Wang, and seizes the Xiongnu’s golden statuette,
then the future history books won’t need rewriting..."
But just as Zhao Rong’s group was rejoicing,
Huo Qubing sighed, pointed at the distant troop, and said:
"Zhao Rong, Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Xuelian, Assistant, they aren’t Xiongnu, but Donghu..."
Upon hearing about the Donghu, the assistant was puzzled and asked:
"Who are the Donghu?
Aren’t they the same race as the Xiongnu?"
Huo Qubing explained:
"Xiongnu primarily operated on the North Desert steppe,
while Donghu were active eastward of the North Desert steppe...
Moreover, the Xiongnu and Donghu were long-time adversaries...
Previously, the Donghu consistently defeated the Xiongnu,
and Donghu occupied quite a bit of Xiongnu territory,
however, since the emergence of Modun Chanyu among Xiongnu, Xiongnu united, not only defeating Donghu but also claiming Donghu’s land and beauties..."
As Zhao Rong, Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Xuelian, and the assistant listened to Huo Qubing’s explanation of Donghu’s origins,
suddenly, the distant Donghu people charged at Zhao Rong’s group with sabers, saying:
"Those six people are Xiongnu,
let’s go over and kill those six Xiongnu..."
Upon hearing Donghu’s misunderstanding, the assistant quickly shouted to explain:
"Donghu, you’re mistaken! We are not Xiongnu, we are Han people..."
Miss Lili also explained, saying:
"Donghu, haven’t you noticed we’re wearing silk and cotton rather than animal hides,
and our hairstyles aren’t like the Xiongnu’s..."
Beautiful Yu Lan loudly reminded the Donghu, saying:
"We really are Han people, not Xiongnu, please don’t get it wrong..."
Just as everyone desperately tried to inform the Donghu they were not Xiongnu,
Huo Qubing stepped forward, revealing the Donghu’s vile intentions, saying:
"Zhao Rong, Miss Lili, Beautiful Yu Lan, Beautiful Xuelian, Assistant, there’s no need to explain because these Donghu clearly know we’re Han people, not Xiongnu,
and they’re using the excuse that we’re Xiongnu to destroy us and seize our steeds, the Akhal-Teke horses..."